A New Beginning
by Luppi-tan
Summary: A year after the final battle, Allen finds Road homeless and starving. In his eternal kindness, he decides to take her in. What happens when she becomes more than just a person in need to him? AllenxRoad. Rated M for lemon in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in D Gray Man, no matter how much I wish Road was mine… I mean… Ahem… This is merely a situational story of what might have happened, and should not be taken overly seriously.

Chapter One

"R-Road!? What the fuck are you doing here!?" Allen shouted, drawing attention to them. The

people that were passing them on the road looked up, some concerned, some disapprovingly, all surprised. Road was sitting in a wet and dirty alley, covered from head to toe in rags almost as filthy as she was. Her once nice hair was plastered down to her head in sheets, and had dead bugs, and blood scattered throughout. Her hair had also grown much longer, appearing as though she had not had a haircut in over a year, which was probably true. Cuts adorned her entire body, at least, all of her body that was actually uncovered. She had a massive black eye that made it impossible for her to see through her left eye. Though her clothes were in shreds, and looked like she hadn't changed them in over a year (which was true), she was relatively well covered. She wore what looked like a fireman's jacket, a hat that covered her ears, though she had taken it off when she saw Allen, and her gloves, though they had holes in them, and were fingerless, were there nonetheless. In addition, she wore poorly fitting pants that seemed to be falling down practically, but she held them on her with a frayed piece of extension cord. Even through all of her layers, he could see that she had lost weight. Her clothes looked like they draped over her, and they did. She had become a real ragamuffin. What was creepiest about her, though, were not the dark circles around her eyes, or the sickly pallor that had lent itself to her face. It was her eyes. They looked haunted, almost afraid, and at the same time, completely broken. The pride and arrogance that had once gleamed in her stare was gone, replaced by a resigned humility and shame.

Despite seeing her like this, Allen wasn't happy. He knew that it was wrong to gain enjoyment out of others' misfortune, but Road was a different story. She had killed some of his best friends. He had been sure that after she disappeared, for indeed, they never found her body, that she was gone from his life forever. What the hell was she doing showing up like this in front of him again? On that note, he couldn't believe that he recognized her. Even though she did have those shocking yellow eyes, her hair was long, ragged, and plastered down to her head with grease and filth, and her skin was oily and dirty along with the fact that she didn't have the Noah crosses across her forehead anymore. Some would say that she looked like a completely different person.

Road had lost everything when the Earl was killed. Her family was gone, the Earl was gone, her powers were gone, her influence was gone. She had nothing left. So, she ran. Now that she looked back on it, perhaps it would have been better to have died with her family. Tyki Mikk, Jasdero, David, and everyone else. She constantly mourned their deaths. She wondered if they hated her for being such a coward. She wondered if when she did die and go to hell, she would be punished by them for running when she should have continued to fight. She was afraid to die, though. After all, she was only sixteen. It wasn't like she was any older than the man standing in front of her. The only difference was that he was brave. He had fought to the end, watched his friends around him die. Lenalee, Yuu Kanda, so many of them were killed outright or died later on. Allen was one of the few that survived. And Allen only survived because he awoke to the true power of the Heart at the last moment, and saved the few stragglers that had managed to survive thus far. Allen was a hero, and was celebrated. There were rumors that when he died, he was going to be made a saint. Road wasn't sure if she believed that, but it would be nice to know that at least people appreciated all that Allen had done for them.

Allen could have been furious at seeing Road again after a year. After all, she had been the one that had killed Yuu Kanda, and Lenalee Lee. He had been in love with Lenalee, and Road murdered her. Allen could have stared down hatefully at Road and just kept walking, leaving her to die an ignoble death in the cold, wet, filthy alley, like a mongrel dog, not fit to live with normal people. He could have killed her outright. He could probably have snapped her neck with his bare hands had he been so inclined.

He looked down at her and grabbed her by her jacket collar and began to shake her violently. Road merely went limp and allowed her body to be tossed back and forth. She didn't really care anymore. The truth was that even she was starting to believe that she deserved to die. Maybe he would kill her quickly. That would be the kind thing to do, rather than force her to live even one more second in the wretched existence that was her life.

"Y-you killed my friends!! You killed Lenalee!!" Allen screamed, throwing Road against the wall, causing her to gasp as the wind was driven from her lungs. Allen watched icily as she struggled to stand up.

Lately for Road, even walking had been a burden. She got out of breath after only a few dozen steps as if she had just run a mile. She was terribly malnourished, and gaunt. If Allen could have seen her under her jacket, he would have seen that her ribs were sticking out rather grossly from her stomach and chest, and that her arms were so thin that they looked like little more than twigs.

He was about to punch her, but then he saw once more the resigned look in her eye, and he realized that she wasn't going to fight back. He wasn't usually in the habit of hitting girls, especially if they were this weak, especially if they refused to fight back. Instead, he looked at her and spoke again.

"Road, how did you get here? Aren't you Japanese?" he asked quietly, allowing her to slide back down the wall, breathing heavily just from trying to stand for so long. He looked in his backpack. He had been about to go to the church to train in their underground training facility, so he had brought lunch with him and some snacks. Surely, though, this was more important. He held out a sandwich to her. At first, she refused it, but when he wouldn't take it back, she took the sandwich and bit into it gratefully. It was the first meal that she had eaten in three days. She rarely got to eat. Only the kindness of others had kept her alive so far. Sometimes, restaurants had scraps of food that they were willing to give her, but just as often they had to send her away hungry. The homeless shelter was run by the church, and they refused to accept her. They knew who she was, and they would never allow her to seek shelter there. She was a Noah. Even if she wasn't dangerous anymore, she didn't deserve any hospitality. She deserved only to die a slow, agonizing death.

Eventually, she stopped trying to convince them to help her, and she just resigned herself to her fate. Soon after, she stopped talking, even to other homeless people. Now, she wasn't even sure if she could speak. She opened her mouth to say something, even though she was eating, but no words came out. She sighed, feeling a tear slide down her face. What a way to be. She was so humiliated to be seen like this by the one man that she had ever loved. He looked at her sympathetically and crouched down in front of her, removing his Dark Order coat, noticing that she was shivering, and putting it over her shoulders.

"Road…? Are you alright?" he asked. She had just been staring at him, and had not yet answered his question. Road nodded and stood up, giving Allen his coat back and beginning to walk away. After a few steps, though, she collapsed again, and this time, even when she tried to get up, she couldn't.

Allen groaned. He hadn't been planning on taking anyone in. He didn't really have room in his house, but the least that he could do was take her back and bring her back to health. After that, he could get rid of her if he needed to, but he would have at least done the right thing. He would have felt bad if he had just left her there. She didn't look like she had much time left if she stayed in that condition. So, grudgingly, he picked her up, and started carrying her back to his house.

The walk home seemed to take forever. The church, after the war, had arranged for a house for him to live in. It was a nice house, and although it was small, it had always been more than enough for one person. Allen wondered, though, if it would be enough for two people. Then suddenly, he turned red, hoping that Road hadn't noticed. The idea of him living with a girl seemed ridiculous. He hadn't thought of it that way back when he was talking to her and picked her up, but now that he thought of it, it probably wouldn't go over very well if anyone heard that he was living alone with a woman. Road probably wouldn't care. But Allen cared what others thought of him. He knew that nothing was going on, but nobody else knew that. However, despite the possibility that it would be misunderstood, he continued toward his house and unlocked the front door, carrying Road in and bringing her up to the bathroom. He may have been willing to let her stay, but she certainly wasn't going near any of his furniture when she was so filthy. She had to take a bath first. So, he shook her gently, waking her up and showed her the soap, shampoo, conditioner and everything else and then left. Road didn't stop him, but for a fleeting second, she wished that he would stay and watch over her while she got clean. She was sure that he would never do something like that, though, especially for someone like her. After all, she was an enemy to humanity and to God, and besides, she wasn't even all that pretty like Lenalee was. She suddenly found that she hated herself for killing Lenalee. It hadn't been the long haired exorcist's time to die, and yet Road had cut her life short as though she had the right to decide whether the girl should live or die.

As Road ran the hot bath water, she felt tears streaming down her face, washing off small amounts of dirt and sweat, and leaving streaks on her cheeks. Her forehead was no longer marked with the marks of the Noah Clan. They had gone away after she survived the fall of the Earl, although her life didn't get any easier for it. Feeling the water in the tub, she took off her clothes and got in. She wondered vaguely what she was supposed to do after her bath. She couldn't walk out naked, and she couldn't put on the filthy rags that she had been wearing again. Maybe Allen was going to give her some clothes. Did he have any clothes that would fit her? His clothes were all too big for her, and unless he had some girls' clothes in his house, he wouldn't be able to help her.

Mere moments later, though, she heard a knock on the door. Although she couldn't answer, she tried, and a second later, the door opened a crack. Allen's arm came through and put a pair of pajamas on the floor by the door for her to change into. She noticed that they had a drawstring on them so that she could tie them to adjust to her waist. Road smiled sadly and put a generous amount of shampoo in her hair, scrubbing it in hard with her fingers. It felt good to finally be able to scrub her head with something that would clean her up a bit. Over the time that she had been homeless, she had done some pretty dirty things to make enough money to survive. Cleaning up garbage, chimney sweeping, going in the sewers, and she smelled it, too. She was proud to say, though, that she had never resorted to prostituting herself, although it would have made more money than all of those other jobs. She was at least young, even if she wasn't stunning to look at. Some men were into that kind of thing. She shuddered at the thought. She probably could have made money selling herself. But that was one thing that she refused to do. The one person that had tried to get her to have sex with him, she had broken his arm and left him crying on the street. After that, her reputation preceded her wherever she went, and she was afforded a good amount of space and respect. That notoriety had died out, too, though, and she soon went back to getting things the way she had been doing.

After a few minutes of scrubbing, she put her head back under the water, not entirely sure if she would be able to pick it back up, but needing to wash the shampoo out. She felt the shampoo wash out of her hair, and she squeezed it, getting everything else out. She then put in some conditioner and did the same thing, scrubbing it in and leaving it for a few minutes before washing it out as well. Her hair was extremely long, now, as she hadn't cut it since the final battle. She sighed in relief. Her head no longer itched so much, and she stepped out of the bath onto the mat and toweled off, squeezing the extra water from her hair into the tub and pulling the plug. The water had become dark gray with all of the dirt that had come off of her in the bath, and she was glad to see the water go. It was like she was drowning away her past, and looking at her future. But what did her future hold? Even she didn't know. How long would Allen's kindness last? He certainly had no obligation to take her in, and no reason to keep her once she was healthy again.

Maybe he saw this as something akin to missionary work. Perhaps he saw her as a sinner, and he wanted to reform her evil ways. If that was the case, then after she appeared to become good again, he would no longer have any need to keep her around. She didn't really think that Allen was that shallow, but it was possible. At first, he seemed so angry at her. She was sure that he was going to kill her, and she was sure that she would have thanked him if he had. But now, she wanted to do everything to keep herself alive. Even if Allen never loved her like she loved him, maybe he would come not to hate her. It was probably more than she could hope for.

Walking over to the pajamas and picking up the pajamas, she slipped into them, sighing with the warmth that they provided, and walking out. The pajamas were very large on her, but she was able to adjust them, and she rolled up the pant legs and pulled the drawstring tight around her emaciated middle. As she walked into the hall, she looked out the window, and realized that it was still the middle of the day. She wondered vaguely how much she had set Allen back. Would he leave her alone in the house, or would he feel that he had to take her with him whenever he went out? It wasn't like she was going to steal anything or break anything. She mostly just wanted to sleep and eat. She hadn't done much of either lately. Her sleep was plagued by nightmares, memories of all of the people that she had killed, of the Akuma whose souls she had damned by destroying them. The people she killed cried out to her, screaming in her face, asking her always why she killed them. What had they done to her? What right did she have to decide their fates? What sins had they committed that would warrant them being killed? Then, they would attack her, and she would be defenseless, feeble, paling in comparison to the hordes of people wanting to kill her, mangle her, destroy any evidence of her. Then, right before she died in her dreams, she would wake up screaming. Nobody was ever there when she woke up. She was always alone, and she would cry for a little while and then after a half-hour or so, she would fall asleep again, only to have a similar dream. Sometimes she died. Sometimes they just continued to torture her, forbidding her from getting a good night's rest. She was sure that soon, she would go insane if she didn't get some sleep.

At the moment, though, she walked downstairs, hanging onto the railing for support as she walked down the steps, taking one step at a time. When she finally got to the bottom, Allen was there, and along with him, the smell of something cooking. He smiled politely at her and turned back to cooking, stirring the pot and then taking it off. Apparently, he was just finishing up. He pulled out two bowls and filled them with stew. Road wasn't sure what Allen had made, or whether she had ever eaten it before. But it smelled good. She was sure, though, that any food would smell good when she had gone so long without any. At first, she just stood there somewhat stupidly, as though waiting for the world to pass her by.

"Sit down, Road. You like beef stew, right?" Allen asked, putting the two bowls on the table in the kitchen and sitting down. When she didn't move, he looked up at her.

"Are you alright? Do you need some help walking?" he continued, looking concerned. Road shook her head and immediately began walking over to the table, making sure that she didn't stumble along the way. She didn't want to appear helpless.

When she finally got over to the table, she practically fell into her chair and picked up her spoon, holding it shakily and thanking Allen silently with a weak smile for cooking dinner. She then began to eat. It was the best thing she had ever eaten, or perhaps she just felt that way because she was so hungry. She began to eat more and more quickly, ignoring how hot the stew was in her mouth. Swallowing it as quickly as she could put it in her mouth, she finished her bowl in less than a minute. She really wanted more, but she wasn't sure if it was alright to ask for more. Allen had already done so much for her. Would it be rude to ask for more? However, it seemed that Allen could read her mind, because he looked up and asked, "would you like some more?" Road nodded rather numbly and Allen took her bowl and filled it again with stew. She followed the example that she had set on her first bowl and downed it, this time in one minute, thirty seconds.

After her second bowl, she was pretty full, so she pushed her bowl away and looked at Allen. She couldn't say anything. She felt like she had forgotten how to talk. Was she really so pathetic? She had to try to talk, though. She opened her mouth, and tried to force air out, making some kind of noise, but all that came was a squeak. It was like her time on the street had taken with it her ability to speak. She hadn't felt this weak in at least six years, since she still lived with her human family. How she hated the lot of them. Her brothers and sisters were arrogant, paranoid, and ruthless. Her father was just as bad, and he often beat Road when he was feeling stressed. Her mother was almost always drunk, and when she wasn't, she had a hangover. None of them loved her, and she was happy when she found out that she was a Noah, because it meant that she was able to leave them forever. She sometimes wondered if they even noticed that she had been gone for six years. She wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't noticed. Allen just smiled, and waved his hand.

"Don't worry, Road. You'll speak when you're ready."

Road sighed with relief. Had Allen always been this sweet? Yes. Now, she realized that he had always been that nice.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"!!!!" Road shrieked, falling out of the bed in abject terror and tossing around, unable to pass a single logical thought through her mind. Her sheets were soaked in a cold sweat. She jerked around, unable to stop until she felt a strong pair of hands on her. She had become rather tangled up in her sheets. She wasn't used to having blankets. In the past year, she had only had newspapers to cover herself with. Allen helped her to untangle herself from the blankets and he held her down for a moment. At first, this only made her struggle harder, afraid that he was going to hurt her. But then, seeing who it was, she calmed down, not moving anymore, but heaving in and out, hardly able to breathe, but starting to take slow, heavy breaths in and out.

In Allen's eyes she saw a look that had not been directed toward her for over a year. Worry, and maybe just a hint of warmth. Road practically jumped on Allen, squeezing him tightly, her eyes brimming with tears. Allen found himself feeling… empathy? Or maybe it was sympathy. He never really pictured Road as someone who even could feel human emotions. He had always just continued to fight her by telling himself that she was just as much a monster as the Akuma were, if not worse. But now, he realized that she felt sad and happy, and scared just like any other human on the face of the earth. Maybe for the years that he had fought her, he had been deluding himself… and it had worked. It allowed him to continue fighting the Noah, as he needed to do. But now that the war was over, maybe he needed to start seeing Road as a human being again. Allen sighed, smiling comfortingly and hugging Road back. Even if she did kill Lenalee, and the others, he found that he couldn't really hate her. He didn't know why, but he felt an odd connection to this former Noah that couldn't be explained in any logical way. Maybe it was just one of those things that was.

Road felt tears streaming down her face as she embraced Allen. She wasn't embarrassed to be seen like that, though.

"Road? Would you prefer if I stayed for a while? At least until you fall asleep again," Allen said quietly. Road nodded and got back in bed, covering herself again and turning over so she could fall asleep, and Allen sat down in a chair beside the bed. He wasn't exactly sure why he was helping her so much. He could have claimed that it was so that she wouldn't wake him up with her screaming again. But that wouldn't have been true. The truth was, that even though he was really angry at her when he first came across her, she seemed somehow different than the Road that he remembered. She had become more humble and gentle. Maybe it had been when he realized that she wasn't fighting back, even as he attacked her. Maybe it was when she downed two bowls of the stew in two minutes. No matter when it happened, though, he had come to see Road differently than before. He found himself drifting off, though, and after a few minutes, he fell asleep sitting in the chair. He had slept in more uncomfortable conditions than that in his life, especially when he was travelling with Cross.

Road awoke late the next morning to find Allen gone from the chair. With somewhat less difficulty than she had been having before, she stood from her bed, taking time to catch her breath after she stood up, and then walked down the stairs. It was almost noontime, and she smelled food coming out of the kitchen again. She never really knew that Allen could cook. Of course, she could just add that to the list of things that she didn't know about Allen. She would have liked to learn more, but she wasn't sure if it was alright to ask him personal questions.

Almost as soon as she walked into the kitchen, the doorbell rang, causing Road and Allen both to jump. Apparently, Allen hadn't been expecting company. Allen sighed and turned off the stove, starting to go over to the door, but Road stopped him.

"Um… It's alright. I'll get it," she said. She wondered vaguely who would be visiting Allen. Perhaps one of the members of the church. If that was the case, it might be bad for her. When she got to the door, she opened it, and was shocked to see a tall Portuguese man with short hair combed back, striking gray eyes and the attire of a Victorian gentleman. He looked down at Road, and stared for a moment, and for a moment, all Road could do was stare back at him, mouth agape. She had been sure that Tyki had died. But apparently, more of the Noahs survived than she had previously accounted for. It was true that she never actually saw Tyki's body, but she assumed that with all of the other Noahs dead, Tyki was logically among them.

"Well, are you going to stand there, mouth agape?" Tyki asked jokingly, "Or are you going to invite me in?"

Road immediately closed her mouth and took a deep breath, coughing for a moment. She still wasn't 100% yet, as proven by her skinny frame.

"I-I'm sorry, Tyki. I can't invite you in." Road said, not thinking much about how she was phrasing her sentence. To Tyki, it sounded like she was refusing him entrance, and moreover, blocking his way. He felt a little bit hurt.

"W-whatever do you mean, Road? Just because we aren't comrades anymore doesn't mean that we aren't still friends, does it?"

"N-no!! Not at all!!" Road said, eyes wide, waving her hands wildly before her, almost falling over. "I-I just mean that it isn't my house. You'd have to ask him…"

"Well, ask him for both of us, because it appears as though another young lady has shown up looking for him. Apparently, your friend is quite popular."

"Um… A-Allen?" Road called. A few moments passed, and then Allen answered, popping his head around the kitchen wall and staring at the door.

"Hey, Road. Is that a friend of… Tyki Mikk?" Allen asked, quirking an eyebrow. He was drawing Noahs from all over to him, apparently. He wondered if he was expected now to be the reform committee or something. Instead of saying so, though, he merely sighed.

"Come in, Tyki. It's rather cold outside. Tell Miranda to please come in as well."

Tyki bowed politely and stepped aside, holding the door for Miranda. She thanked him quietly, somewhat cautiously, and entered, stomping her boots on the mat before she slipped them off and entered the house.

"Hello, Allen. How are you doing?" Miranda asked, smiling at Allen's shocked face. Allen's look was almost as funny as Road's, who was also questioning Tyki.

"Tyki! H-how did you know that I was here!?"

"Well, I asked around for a while, and heard that a homeless girl fitting your description had been seen begging scraps of food from restaurants. Apparently, you've gone down from crimes against humanity to petty theft…" he said, chuckling at his joke. Road just looked at him incredulously. She couldn't believe that he was making a joke about the things that she had done.

"W-wait. Y-you mean… you aren't sorry at all for the things that you did as a Noah?" Road asked, hand over her heart. She was sure that she knew the answer, but she had to hear it from him. He cocked an eyebrow and looked away for a moment, possibly to compose a suitable answer to her question, even though he thought it rather beneath her to ask such a thing.

"Why should I be? It was decided from the moment that I was born that I was to fight alongside the Earl as a Noah. I chose my side. It happened to be the losing side. I don't regret losing the battle, as it must have been destiny. However, I also don't regret becoming a Noah. When I heard that you were homeless, Road, I have to say that I was shocked to say the least. You must have known that even if I had been dead, my family would have welcomed you as one of their own. I've actually come today to invite you to come stay with me and my family in Portugal."

When Allen heard this, he looked up. He knew that Road and Tyki were close, and he had known from the beginning that Road's stay there wasn't going to be permanent. However, he hadn't even fully gotten used to having one extra person in the house yet, let alone had time to say goodbye to her. He had to say, that he wouldn't be devastated to see her leave. However, he wouldn't relish the day that he knew would inevitably come. Road seemed to have changed, and were she anyone else, perhaps they could have been friends.

Road stared at Tyki, tears filling her eyes. Then she poked Tyki hard in the chest.

"Listen! For 14 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days, the screams and pleas of the people that I hurt and killed, the lives that I tore apart, the homes that I destroyed, all of them haunted my dreams, never giving me a moment's respite. I deeply regret what I've done, and I can tell you for a fact that you _do_ have a choice. We didn't have to follow the Earl. We could have refused him, and gone on with our lives. Despite the recrudescent memories that we now have, we were still normal people living normal lives until we gave into our dark desires and followed the Earl, not out of necessity, but out of greed for power! I gave into the greed just like you did. Just like Jasdero, just like David! I can't believe you really don't feel any shame at all for what you've done! And as for your answer? No! I won't live with you! Because likely, your family has the same outlook as you do. Tyki, I don't hate you, but I'm trying to redeem myself in God's eyes, and I don't see how I could do that if I lived with you."

"I see. Well, I suppose that our differences of opinion are too great to bridge any longer. We have certainly gone on different paths. I wish you luck in finding God. Allen, I wish you well, and bid you adieu."

"Huh? Y-you mean, you aren't here to attack me?" Allen asked, dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Quite the contrary. I wish to restore peace between us. I never bore any personal grudge against you. I was merely following orders, as were you. I see no reason that we can't be civil in the future."

"I-I suppose so. If I can do so with Road, I suppose I can do the same with you, Tyki."

"I really must be going, now. I have much to attend to. Please take care, Road…" he said politely, turning and walking out, putting his top hat back on and strolling back to his carriage, the door of which was opened by a driver and he got in. The carriage then rolled away. To Allen's surprise, Road seemed slightly sad to see him go. She turned around and smiled at Allen, though, and started walking toward him when her knees buckled beneath her and she fell to the floor.

Miranda immediately grabbed Road picking her up and carrying her over to the couch. She then looked at Allen with a somewhat chastising look. Even though she didn't have any children, Miranda always reminded Allen of a parent, especially when she looked at him like that.

"Now please, tell me how on earth you came to pick up Road Kamelot. She looks like she just emerged from a cave. How long have you had her? What possessed you to do such a thing!? You don't really think that she's changed, do you!?"

"Miranda, if you had seen the way that she looked yesterday, you would have done the same thing. You wouldn't have just left her to die either. It's impossible to explain if you weren't there. But the short version is that I found her in an alley yesterday. I'm surprised in retrospect that I recognized her at all."

"Allen, I know that you're a kind person, but there has to be a limit to how generous you can be!" Miranda said, perhaps a little bit louder than she had meant to. Road was still asleep, but it wouldn't be too hard to wake her up if they were too noisy.

"Maybe I am being too nice. But I'm not stupid. Just because I'm helping her doesn't mean I have to trust her. And it doesn't mean that I have to become friends with her."

"Allen, you say that now, but that isn't how you are. You're naturally trusting, and you make friends with just about everyone you meet. There isn't a person alive that you couldn't become friends with. Besides, what about Lenalee? What would she say if she knew you were sheltering Road Kamelot?"

"I don't know what she would say. And even if she was furious, I wouldn't care. I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for Road. Road is still young, and she can still be saved. Maybe it's too late for Tyki Mikk, but it might not be for Road."

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Allen. I don't want to see you hurt. Wasn't Lenalee's murder enough to make you see that Road is a monster?"

"Miranda. When I first saw Road, I was furious. I was ready to kill her myself. But something changed my mind. I don't exactly know what, but I think that God stopped me from killing her because he still has plans for her. Who am I to fight God's plan?"

"Okay, Allen. Just tell me if you need anything, and don't get too close to Road. It can't be good for you."

Road sat at the dinner table, cracking her knuckles. She had heard almost the entire conversation between Allen and Miranda, and she wasn't sure how to bring up the subject. She was sure that Allen would never have said any of those things had he known that she was listening. Somehow, though, that made it hurt even more. Did he really not trust her? Did he really not intend to be friends with her? She sat silently for a while and took the food that Allen put in front of her, putting a spoonful into her mouth, even though she didn't feel very hungry. Was Allen going to get rid of her as soon as he thought he could? Why did he take her in in the first place? Was it out of pity? She had been a pretty pathetic sight to lay eyes on. What did Allen really think of her? Was he still angry at her because she killed Lenalee?

After a few minutes of thinking along these lines, she realized that the food in her mouth had turned into little more than slurry, and she swallowed hard, choking down the food. It wasn't that it wasn't good. It was delicious. She never pinned Allen as a good cook, but she felt sick, and it was hard for her to force herself to eat. Allen seemed to notice this, and he looked at her with mild concern.

"Is something wrong, Road? Do you not like what I made?" he asked, looking at her probingly. Road shook her head, not daring to speak for a moment. Finally, she said something, but it came out rather raspy and weak.

"I-it isn't that. It's really good. It's just… When you were talking with your friend, did you mean what you said?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Allen asked, confused.

"Well, you said that you didn't trust me and that you weren't interested in being friends with me."

Allen looked at her, his mouth agape for a moment. Then he composed himself again, though, and said something, even though he wasn't really sure what he could say to something like that.

"Well, I mean… We've been enemies for so long now that I'm not sure I can ever really trust you. I mean, do you trust me? I'm an exorcist, and officially, I'm supposed to assassinate you on sight."

"Y-yes," Road said meekly, tears filling her eyes again, her face turning a light shade of pink. "I… I do trust you. I trust you more even than I trusted the rest of the Clan of Noah. They were supposed to be on the same side as me, but the only thing that really held us all together was the Earl. You were different, though. You weren't like any of the Noahs. But you weren't like any of the other exorcists, either. On that note, you weren't even like most humans. Something about you made me believe that I could trust you no matter what," she said softly, causing Allen quite a surprise.

"Road… I'm sorry if I made you think that I did intend to be your friend."

"If not that, though, then why did you save me!?" Road yelled, her breathing starting to become ragged. "Do you really not believe that an exorcist and a Noah can be friends? At least tell me that you don't hate me!!"

"Do you really want me to lie to you, Road?" Allen asked, his usually friendly blue eyes having turned ice cold. Road stared at him in disbelief. She couldn't understand why he was suddenly acting like that. It wasn't fair. She thought that perhaps he had finally forgiven her for what she had done. She didn't care if God ever forgave her, or even if he sent her to hell for her crimes. But she needed to know that Allen would forgive her.

"But what about forgiveness!? Isn't that what God is about!?"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT GOD!!" Allen yelled, his voice suddenly rising along with Road's. He slammed his fist down on the table and glared at Road, his fist sending the plates flying. Finally, though, he calmed down a bit, and even though his stare was still cold, he wasn't yelling anymore.

"Besides, I'm not God. I don't know if I can ever forgive you for killing my friends. They were my whole world! Without my friends, I have nothing! Even God isn't a replacement for friends, and you murdered them!"

"I'm sorry, Allen! I can't bring them back to life! I just want to try to repent for everything I've done! I'm not sure that I can do it alone, though!" she shouted, struggling to speak clearly through tears. She could feel her breath coming in ragged bursts, and it was hard for her to breathe. She clutched at her chest, but it didn't do any good. The only thing that would help now would be for her to leave. She could never go back to Allen's house. Not knowing what she knew, now. Maybe there was a priest somewhere that would shelter her for a few days until she could get her bearings and find her way to Tyki's home. He had invited her, and even though she had been so angry at him, his invitation seemed sincere.

Road jumped up from the table and ran out the door, forgetting to put on shoes, even though it was winter and snowing, now. Her bare feet were ice cold in the snow, but she didn't care. Even if she did die, now, it wouldn't mean anything. There was nobody left who cared about her. Then, she had an idea. She had to die. Maybe in death, she could finally repent for her sins. Perhaps she would still go to hell, but at least the world would be rid of one more monster.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Allen sighed as he walked through the snowy night. It was relatively light out. The moon was full that night, and after the snowstorm had ended, the clouds had cleared right up, and the stars had come out. It was beautiful that night, and it was on nights like that that he was really reminded of the grace of God. He felt bad about how he had treated Road. She was trying to change, and he wasn't giving her a chance to prove that she could. Even though he had said that he was going to give her a chance, he wasn't. He had to wonder if he was really such a bad person that he couldn't give someone a chance to change. He wanted nothing more than to find Road and take her back to his house. But what did he know about Road? Nothing. How was he to know where she would go? Maybe God could guide him in this case. He had made a mistake, but now he was trying to fix it. He looked down and thought for a moment, praying for guidance.

Road stood by the side of the lake. It was only partially frozen over on top, but it was enough that she would die pretty quickly after she jumped in. They might find her body in a few weeks. She didn't care, though if they didn't. It wasn't like anyone else would care. She looked at the ice cold water, and thought for a moment. Was Allen serious when he said all those things? It was true that he had been pretty mean to her, but that wasn't usually what he was like. Anyone could make a mistake. Maybe if she went back and apologized, then he would forgive her. Yeah. Like that was ever going to happen. She didn't deserve to be forgiven, and if she couldn't even forgive herself, then who else would be gracious enough to forgive her? She took a breath in and then breathed out.

She finally finished and then took one last breath, knowing that it would be her last. She tied the rock that was next to her to her foot and picked it up, throwing it into the lake just as Allen got there. She heard him yell just as she flew into the lake after the rock. He ran toward her and tried to stop her, but it was too late. She plunged into the ice cold water and below the ice, and soon disappeared from sight. Allen looked around desperately for a moment. For some reason, he had heard a little voice telling him to go to the lake. That he would find the answers there. He knew, though, that to find the answer, he would have to save Road, so without a second thought, he dove into the lake and swam down to the bottom, ignoring the biting cold and the weight of all his clothes. Even in his boots, jacket, shirt, and pants, he was moving pretty quickly, and once he got to the bottom of the lake, the water started to feel a little bit warmer. He searched around in the murky water for a sign of Road, not finding her immediately. But then, he saw bubbles coming from a few feet away, and he turned around and swam over to her, looking around in his pockets for a knife, but finding none. He would have to break the rope on his own. He went over to the rope, and pulled it down slightly, wrapping the two ends around his hands and pulling as hard as he could, doing everything that he could think of to break the rope.

He could feel his chest getting tight as he pulled more and more, getting out of breath underwater like that. The cold was robbing him of strength, and not being able to breathe was doing the rest. Road was already resigned to her fate, and didn't care. But Allen did, even though he was close to passing out. Finally, he yanked hard, and the rope snapped in his hands. He gasped in shock, allowing the ice cold water into his mouth and lungs. Resisting the urge to cough, he grabbed Road and carried her up to the surface, swimming to shore. Road gasped and coughed as they hit the surface, and Allen breathed heavily as he climbed up onto the shore with Road, wrapping her immediately in his jacket. She looked awful, and after a moment, Allen picked her up again and carried her back to his house.

When Road awoke, she found that she felt awful. She wasn't even completely sure of where she was. She looked around blearily, thinking for a moment and getting her bearings. The last thing she remembered was jumping into the lake. It looked like she was in Allen's house. Maybe this was heaven. Had she really done enough good to repent for all her sins? If this was heaven, it was even better than she had expected. If she could live in Allen's house for eternity, she would literally be in heaven.

Moments later, Allen came out of the kitchen, sniffling slightly, looking almost as bad as Road felt. He was pale, and sweating, and his face was flushed with tinges of pink. He had dark bags under his eyes, maybe from lack of sleep, and his hair was limp and matted to his head. His entire body was shaking violently like he was cold, even though he was breathing heavily like he was overheating. He looked over at Road and smiled weakly. Even though Allen himself was a wreck, he had been taking care of Road like it was his responsibility. What was more, he had jumped into the freezing lake to save her, even though he said that he had hated her. She didn't really understand, but she wondered if she should question it, or take it as a sign that it wasn't time for her to die, just yet. Maybe God even spoke to people like her. Maybe she wasn't alone in the world.

"Allen…" Road began. She looked away, blushing, and it had nothing to do with her fever. "Why did you save me? This is the second time that you pulled me out of death's grasp, and you haven't told me why."

"You know, Road, even servants of God can be selfish sometimes, so please don't think too badly of me when I say that I saved you both times because I would have felt guilty had I just left you…" he said quietly, wheezing a bit in between. Road could tell, though, even in the state that she was in, that there was more to it than that.

"Allen, do you really hate me?" Road asked, looking just like a normal sixteen year old girl that had just realized what a stupid mistake she had made. For Road, though, it wasn't just any stupid mistake. It was a stupid mistake that could have caused much more damage than it had. Road was lucky that Allen had been there to stop her.

Hesitating for a moment, Allen stared hard into Road's golden eyes, and sighed, shaking his snow white head in resignation.

"No, Road. I don't hate you… I-I wanted to convince myself that I hated you so that I wouldn't have trouble telling you to leave if it ever came to that. But now, I'm not sure I could make you leave. I didn't think that it would ever be possible for a Noah and an exorcist to be friends. But I suppose that there is a first time for everything."

"Allen… I'll understand if you do want me to leave after I tell you this, but I'm glad that it was you who found me on the street. I've always considered you more than just a friend, even when we were enemies. Even though I knew that you hated me, you were different from most humans. I had long since grown disenchanted with humans, and their propensity for cruelty. I thought that I wanted to destroy the humans, but you showed me that not all humans are like that, and I guess I… I fell in love with you."

Allen looked at Road for a moment, wide eyed, unable to say anything. After all, how could he respond to something like that? He couldn't tell her that he loved her. That would be a lie. But could he really just ignore her? He stood there, thinking for a moment, and then he shook his head sadly and said, "Oh, Road. I…"

"Please don't say it!!" Road suddenly shouted, startling Allen. "I know what you're going to say, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to hear it! Just please tell me that we can continue to be friends!"

"I can't believe that you'd still want to be friends after what I said to you."

"Wait. How did I end up in this… unless…"

"I uh… I put some pajamas on you… *Achoo!*" Allen sneezed and blew his nose, groaning slightly. He felt awful and his head was killing him. Road had been unconscious for two days, and in that time, Allen had caught cold, just as surely as if he'd sat next to someone who was sick.

"You should get some rest. You look awful, Allen." Road said in concern. In the past, she wouldn't have given a damn about some human's health, even if they had just saved her. But now, she found herself genuinely concerned for him.

"No… I-I can't. I still… need t-to make dinner and clean up the house."

"Allen! I'll make dinner!"

"You can cook?" Allen asked, his face going blank. He had never expected Road to be good at cooking. She just didn't seem the type.

"Of course I can cook!" Road said loudly, although she wasn't really angry. She stood and walked over to the kitchen. She took out a pot and went into the fridge, looking for food that she could throw together. She had rarely cooked in the past, but when she did, she always liked what she made. She wasn't sure if she knew how to clean, though.

Road had come from a very wealthy family… who hated her from the moment she was born. They never outright abused her, but she couldn't even remember her father or mother telling her that they loved her, or even looking her in the eye. When they did talk to her, they did so with their backs turned to her. The servants and maids took care of her when she was a baby. To her parents, she was just a burden that they were stuck with. She was only too happy when the Earl came to leave her family behind for one that would pay attention to her. She realized shortly into her time as a Noah that her family and the Earl were evil. She didn't care, though. She just wanted them to love her. Now that Allen had taken her in, she was determined to get him to care about her. She knew that he may never actually love her, but that wasn't important anymore. She had once wanted more than anything for him to love her, but now she just wanted to be able to be friends with him.

Allen sat down, grateful that Road was helping him. He really felt awful that night, and after Road had offered to help, he had gone up to bed, partially at Road's insistence. Allen wasn't sure about letting Road do the cooking, as he had no idea what kind of things she had ever cooked, even. However, when he smelled what was coming out of the kitchen, he knew that he hadn't needed to worry after all. Road brought out a large bowl of something unfamiliar to Allen. It smelled good, though. Even though Road still looked a little bit tired and thin from when he first found her, she seemed to be doing a lot better.

"What'd you make, Road?" Allen asked politely, standing up in an offer to help. Road pushed him back down and grinned, though. She actually looked pretty excited, considering how heavy the air had been just an hour before.

"Stewed slugs, roasted maggots topped with ground cat liver and some soy sauce for flavor…" Road said, grinning even wider. Allen looked at her, horrorstruck. The funny thing was, he wouldn't be too surprised if Road really had made such a dinner. After all, he didn't really know anything about her, so she very well could have eaten that kind of thing all the time.

"Ahahaha! Just kidding! You should have seen the look on your face, Allen… It's scalloped potatoes and some leftover beef stew."

Allen sighed in relief as she put the tray down and put a plate in front of him. He felt a little bit strange having her cooking dinner for him. After all, wasn't he the one who had taken her in? Oh well. He would have to get to bed early that night. He had to go to church in the morning, and he was debating whether to bring Road or not. It would certainly be making quite a statement to bring her along, but on the other hand, maybe nobody would notice her. Yeah, that was likely. Especially given that Miranda, and all the rest of the Order, including General Cross would be there. Yes, Cross was still alive, despite him making it appear as though he had died. Apparently, he had become bored of the Order already, and ran off again by faking his death. And he had done a good job, but during the war, he came back, and fought with them. Now, he was in town permanently, living a peaceful life… well, as peaceful as Marion Cross can possibly live.

"This is really good, Road. Oh, by the way, I have church tomorrow. You don't have to come if you don't want to. All my old friends from the Order will be there, so perhaps it would be best if you stay home…" Allen said, trying to be polite, but feeling like he was being a little bit short with her. Road shook her head, though.

"I-I want to go. I used to go to church every week before I became a Noah. My family was deeply religious, and even though we didn't get along, they brought me to church on Sundays. Maybe it will be good to go back.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Road was sitting in the church pew uncomfortably, shifting around in her seat, wringing her hands. It was a beautiful and majestic church with tall stained glass windows all along the walls and a large altar with fine cloth draped over it and candles that loomed almost ominously over the congregation, flickering on their wicks and casting long shadows over the church floor. Nobody had recognized Road as she came in, as she had left her hair long and tied it back in a pale blue ribbon. She still didn't have any decent clothes of her own to wear, so she was wearing Lenalee's, which Allen couldn't really figure out why he had, but who was a good bit taller than Road, so they kind of swam on her, but she managed to make them fit her well enough to be presentable. She didn't want to look scruffy when she went to church for the first time in so many years, and moreover, she didn't want anyone to recognize her. She had asked Allen to use the name that her parents had given her… Kyoko. She had always hated that name before, because it reminded her of how much she hated her parents, but now, she was glad that she had it.

Several people had asked if Allen was going out with Road, whom he did indeed introduce as Kyoko. He always just smiled politely and shook his head, saying that she was an old friend that he met when he was still a performer, and whom he ran into again recently. It was a lie, but Allen apparently figured that it would be easier to tell a small lie than to deal with the shock of the congregation as they looked at one of the former Noahs. They would likely chase both Allen and Road out of the church and then summarily out of town, and there would be little that anyone could do to stop them.

Suddenly, though, Allen became tense as General Marion Cross sat down next to him and patted him on the back heartily, looking over at Road (Kyoko), narrowing his eyes as he scowled. His mouth folded into a frown and his forehead creased with concentration. Then he smiled brightly, and somewhat facetiously.

"Hello, _Kyoko-san_." He said, stressing her name, as if he was implying that he didn't believe her story for a minute. "You know, I was surprised when I saw you and Allen together. I said to myself, 'how on earth could _Allen_ possibly get such a beautiful girl as you?'" he said loudly, laughing at Allen's embarrassment. Yeah. This was the same old Cross as ever. Not an ounce of gentility or refinement.

"Oh… We're not really…" Road began shyly, blushing under Cross's stare, feeling like he was looking right through her. He interrupted her, though.

"Then I realized what it was about you that was bugging me. You look _really_ familiar!" he said. It would look to anyone passing by as though they were just having a normal, albeit loud, conversation.

"I-I don't believe we've ever met, Mr…" Road said, knowing his name, but not wanting to give away any hints as to who she was, afraid that Cross already knew too much.

"Cross. Marion Cross. Are you sure that we've never met? I have never once forgotten the face of a beautiful woman, and I don't get the feeling that I would start now. Perhaps it was that time in _Ark_ansas?" he asked, stressing the 'ark' in it. Allen gulped, now rigid as a board.

"Don't worry, Allen, I'm not here to steal your girlfriend. Perhaps I could talk to you after church, though. We have much to catch up on."

"O-of course, General Cross," Allen said, groaning. Finally, Cross left and went back to his seat, where Allen noticed he was sitting with a fairly stately woman himself. Shaking his head, he turned around as the mass started.

(A/N: I don't know how a Catholic mass goes, so if anyone out there does, please inform me, as I would be glad to add such a scene in and revise the fanfiction.)

Allen walked outside, telling Road to wait for him by the bells. He figured that it would be best if she stayed out of sight, and Cross hadn't asked if he could talk to her as well. As he approached Cross, the tall exorcist smiled and waved, beckoning for him to hurry up. Immediately after Allen got there, still slightly out of breath, Cross began.

"Allen, I'm quite shocked at your taste in women," Cross said sternly. Allen sighed and tried to not give anything away yet.

"W-what do you mean? Kyoko isn't my girlfriend, and she's very nice. She's a little bit shy, though, and you were making her nervous!" Allen said, trying to focus the attention on Cross instead of Road.

"Oh, so sorry that I upset the little Noah…" Cross said, and to Allen's dumbstruck stare, he smirked and nodded. "Oh, yes. I knew immediately when I saw her who she was. Really, Allen. Did you think that putting her in ill fitting clothes, giving her a wig and a fake identity would fool anyone? I don't think that anybody else noticed because the Noah didn't intentionally cause a scene and because nobody scrutinized her any closer than giving her a passing glance as they greeted her. I could smell the death and nihilism on her the moment she set foot in the church. Dating her is one thing. That's bad enough, but did you really have to bring her to church?"

"First of all, her hair isn't a wig. She hasn't had a haircut for over a year! Second, her name really is Kyoko! Kyoko is her birth name, though she doesn't like to use it because she hates her parents so much! Third, did you expect me to let her come to church in the filthy rags that I found her in? Yes, when I found her, she was homeless, and hadn't eaten in days. She looked close to death, and at first, I wanted to kill her, too, but I decided to take her home and HELP HER!! Isn't that the _Christian_ thing to do!? Fourth, we're not dating, and she isn't a Noah anymore. She's a former Noah, and she wanted to come to church because she feels bad about what she's done!"

"Wow. She really has pulled one over on you, hasn't she!?" Cross said scornfully. Allen groaned and slapped his forehead.

"I don't have to account to you for my actions anymore. You _aren't_ my master anymore, and I can't believe that you don't trust me to make my own decisions!"

"It isn't that I don't trust you, Allen. It's that I don't trust _her_. By the way, where is she?"

"She should be waiting by the church bell," Allen said uncertainly. Allen looked over toward the bells and found that Road was gone. Allen sighed and said goodbye to Cross, looking around for Road. When he didn't find her by the bells, he went back in and asked around if anyone had seen her. At first, he didn't get any leads, but then someone said that they had seen her go into the back where the confessionals were. Allen groaned, knowing what she was going to do, and ran back, hoping to be able to stop her before she revealed who she was, believing that the priest would keep her secret. It was true that priests were sworn to secrecy about what people told them in the confessionals, but to tell the priest that she was a Noah, and the very fact that she was in a church would be more likely to get her killed than forgiven.

"Father, I know that I'm not really Catholic. I've never had my first confession, so I don't really know what I'm doing…" Road said shyly, finding it hard not to cry, even when talking to the priest about such trivial things.

"That's alright, dear. Any child of God is welcome in his house," the priest said, calming her down slightly. He then spoke again. "Why don't we start with your name?" he suggested warmly. Road nodded. Probably he would know who she was if she told him her real name. But she was done hiding from the church. She had to make a stand now.

"Road Kamelot. It's been a long time since anyone has called me a child of God, though."

"What do you mean, Miss Kamelot?" the priest asked politely. Road sighed. Apparently, he didn't recognize her.

"Most people believe me to be the spawn of Satan, or something like that. I never believed in God or Satan before, but now I'm not so sure if I wasn't bound for Hell from the moment I was born."

"Well, nothing is decided absolutely. Everyone has within them good and evil, and the choice as to which they embrace."

"I keep trying to tell myself that, but I'm not so sure. My former master always told me that it was my destiny to serve him, and I never questioned it because it made sense."

"What made sense about it, Miss Kamelot?"

"Well, with the recrudescent memories of the Noah rising in my mind, I was so sure that I was bound permanently to the Earl."

"Oh, my. You're that Road Kamelot?" the priest asked in mild surprise. Road nodded.

"Yes. I was hesitant to come to church for fear of what people would do if they recognized me."

"Well, it was good of you to come to church, child. There is nothing for which God will not forgive you should you truly feel remorse."

"What should I do?" Road asked quietly, feeling tears filling her eyes already. The priest sighed understandingly.

"Well, you are still young, child. You still have time to turn your life around. I'm sure that your friend Allen can help you along the way. Go in peace, in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit. Amen."

"Amen." Road replied quietly, walking out of the confessional to see Allen and General Cross standing there waiting for her. Cross had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was glaring at her suspiciously.

"Hello, _Kyoko_, or perhaps I should say Road Kamelot. You did pretty well disguising yourself as a normal person. Tell me… Is that a wig that you're wearing, and how did you make yourself look so skinny?" he asked suspiciously. Road looked away and sighed, yanking on some of her hair to show him that it wasn't a wig.

"This isn't a wig. And why I look how I do is none of your business…" Road said, not in a hostile tone, but certainly not in a friendly one. Cross continued to stare at Road for a moment. Then he said, "I see. Then I guess you wouldn't mind submitting to a mind scan to make sure that you aren't still dangerous?" Cross said with a smirk. A mind scan was a test run by attaching electrodes to the subject's head, and reading the electric waves that were passing through it. The waves were then translated into something that could be understood by the scientists administering the tests. Such tests were painful, though, and they sometimes caused short or long term memory loss and in rare cases permanent brain damage due to the electricity that was being sent through the electrodes.

"No, master! Those things are dangerous, and you know it! They're only used on criminals who refuse to yield to conventional interrogation. Besides, such tests are unreliable, and can often do more harm than good…" Allen said angrily, standing up and rushing over to Cross and Road again.

Road thought silently for a moment. She knew all about mind scanning machines. Not only were they dangerous, but as the memories were being scanned, the subject often felt themselves reliving the memories. She didn't want to have to relive every murder that she ever committed.

"I'll answer any questions you ask me. You can bring me anywhere you like to ask them. I refuse to submit to a mind scan, though."

"Road, are you sure about this? The Order can use some pretty extreme interrogation tactics. Just because they're religious by nature doesn't mean that they'll hold back on torturing the answers out of you," Allen said quietly. Road smiled at him. "They won't have to torture me. I'm going there of my own free will and I intend to answer all their questions honestly."

Allen groaned. Road obviously didn't know much about the Black Order. She was still a wanted criminal. Once she answered all of their questions, they would arrest her and sentence her to be executed. Cross knew that as well, but instead of telling her, he grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her along behind him, ordering Allen to follow him.

"Road Kamelot? How long has it been since you disappeared? A year? A year and a half?"

"One year, two months, two weeks, eight days, five hours, and twenty-nine… no… thirty minutes," Road said blankly. She wasn't scared. She may have been a bit uncomfortable, but she knew that Allen was watching the interview, so she was sure that everything would go well.

"That's quite an internal clock that you have, Miss Kamelot… If that is your real name…"

Road didn't say anything to this. The man was quite sharp. He already knew that Road wasn't her real name.

"Please don't waste time attempting to build rapport. I already understand full well that you don't trust me, and that I am likely to be punished severely after you've finished interrogating me."

"Well then, if you understand that you're a criminal, how many people have you killed? A dozen? A hundred? A thousand?"

"Five thousand eight hundred seventy six men, three thousand two hundred thirty women, and too many children to count."

"Do you feel any remorse at all for the people that you've killed?" the man asked, leaning in, his sharp, angular eyes boring holes in Road's head. Road looked at him, completely unpretentiously.

"Would you believe me if I said that I did? I am human after all."

"You're not human. You're a monster!" the man spat disgustedly at Road, who merely sighed and spoke again.

"Yes, I suppose one could call me a monster, although that would be more a description of my personality, my moral compass, rather than my species."

"I heard from Cross that you've been living with Allen Walker for almost a week, now. He even took you to church with him. Did you enjoy your time with him?"

"More than you can possibly understand."

"Do you enjoy manipulating good people into taking care of you? Does it make you feel powerful?"

"Not particularly. Until Allen came along, I've never actually been taken care of by any good people, so I wouldn't really know how that felt," Road said quietly. She wasn't being sarcastic at all. She completely hated her parents, and she was well aware that Tyki's family was full of terrible people.

"What about your parents? You weren't born a Noah. You had to come from a human family."

"I did. My father was filthy rich, and obsessed with making more money and gaining more power. My mother was haughty, prideful, and vain. Neither of them even wanted me, but the Catholic church does not believe in abortions, so they had me, and left me to the maids and servants. They didn't love me, though. The only reason they took care of me was because they were paid to do it. I was only too happy to become a Noah when the time came. I searched around every so often, checking missing persons reports. My parents never even reported me missing."

"So how does Allen figure into this? What does he have to do with any of it?"

"He saved me when I was close to death."

"You were gravely injured? I don't see any scars."

"No. No major injuries. I had no place to live. I was starving. But you didn't really call me here to ask me about my recent living accommodations, did you?"

"No. I suppose I got a little bit sidetracked. My apologies, Miss Kamelot. More on point, though, why did you accept Allen's invitation to live at his house? I heard that the former Noah Tyki Mikk came into town to invite you to live with him. Yet you turned him down. Surely you would be more comfortable among those more similar to yourself."

"I feel very comfortable around Allen. He's been very kind to me since he found me, and I still am not sure that I understand why. I'm not sure if I deserve such kindness, but I'm too afraid to leave. Ever since I started staying at Allen's house, my nightmares have all but gone away. I'm safe under his roof. Today's incident at church, if you feel like calling it an incident, is proof that nobody will accept me except for him."

"I see. You're a very strange girl, Road. As a Noah, you took great delight in causing suffering and pain just like all the other Noahs, and yet, you seem not to have lost all sense of conscience."

"Conscience isn't something that you can gain or lose. It's something that you either have or that you don't have. One can suppress their conscience if they commit enough sins that such things no longer seem so horrible. However, the conscience will always be at the back of that person's mind, trying to nudge them in the right direction. Perhaps I didn't hear my conscience until it was too late."

"Ah, but concepts such as _too_ late are all relative. What is _too_ late, after all? Is too late after you've committed ten murders? Twenty? Thirty? Maybe too late is if you haven't repented ten minutes before your death. Or perhaps humans make their own rules about repentance and they have no bearing on whether God is willing to forgive. The Bible says that if one is truly sorry for one's sins, no matter how great, God is always willing to forgive. Unfortunately, human society doesn't work that way. Crimes must be punished, and where the state cannot punish a crime, organizations such as we must do so in their place. That being said, you do appear to truly regret your sins in the past. However, there is no way that we can let you off without some punishment. So, hopefully you will agree to this so that we don't have to put you on trial, where the punishment will most likely be death. You will continue to live with Allen Walker, and abide by the rules of his house, and by the laws of the church. Should these two sources conflict, the church's laws take precedence. Now that you are an ordinary civilian, and are still a minor, you must attend school like any other minor. You will go to the same school as Allen, and you will be expected to keep up with your work. You are not to leave the city for any reason. This sounds rather fair to me. Don't you think so?"

"Yes. Thank you. I look forward to returning to school."

"Well, first, you have to finish out the Christmas break. Christmas has not quite come yet."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Road yawned widely and blinked as the world around her came slowly into focus. She looked blankly at the clock next to her bed. She had really slept late. It was 10:00. It was unlike her to not be up by 8:00. Of course, Allen was almost always up earlier. He woke up around 7:00 regardless of whether he had anything to do, and he did his morning exercise. She wasn't sure what his routine was, but he was pretty fit, so whatever he did, it worked. Next, she looked at the calendar. It was December 25th. She had never really cared about Christmas in the past. It had always been inconsequential. Her parents never did anything for Christmas, and when she went to the Earl, he denounced Christmas as Christian drivel.

Vaguely wondering what Allen did for Christmas, she swung her feet over the side of the bed and sat there for a moment, not really thinking about anything in particular, just allowing random thoughts to wash through her mind like a river cutting through a valley. After a few minutes of silent contemplation, she stood and put on a sweatshirt and walked downstairs. On her way down, though, she tripped, and flew down the stairs, crashing at the bottom. Allen looked up in alarm, having been sitting in the kitchen, and raced over to Road, helping her stand up.

"Are you alright? What happened?" he asked her with a worried stare. She noticed as she stood that there were several other people watching silently from behind the wall. If memory served her correctly, they were Miranda Lotto, whom Road had met before, Lavi Bookman, and Arystar Krory.

"I-I'm fine. M-Merry Christmas, Allen, um, and everyone else…"

As she acknowledged the people behind the wall, their heads disappeared, and she began to hear whispering. Sighing, she shook her head loose and sat down on the step until her head stopped hurting. She then looked at Allen until he invited her over to the table. Road heard as the other four rushed to the table to appear as though they hadn't been watching, and they all stared at her suspiciously as she sat down. Her hair was still long and rather messy, as she still hadn't gotten a haircut. Lavi seemed the most suspicious of all of them, and he seemed also openly hostile toward her, refusing to look her in the eye.

"So, Road… Your hair is a mess, and you look like you're one of those kids on the cereal boxes…" Lavi said, still not looking at her. Was he… making fun of her? It didn't really bother her that much, though. Was he looking to make her angry? To get her to hit him or something? If he was, it wasn't working. Before Road could say anything, though, Allen spoke.

"Lavi!" Allen protested. Lavi looked at him blankly.

"What?! It's true. She's as skinny as a rail. Have you not been feeding her or something, Allen?" he asked with a cold laugh.

"Actually, Lavi… She looks much better than she did when I first saw her. I came to Allen's house about a week ago, and she was a real mess. She seems to be doing well," Miranda said with a polite smile, although Road at least could tell that it was fake. Arystar didn't say anything, but Road could see the suspicion in his eyes. She had always been pretty good at reading people, and Arystar was wearing his distrust all over his face.

"S-so, would it be… Count Krory, then?" Road asked timidly. Arystar looked at her in surprise. He didn't expect her to know anything about him, especially not that his father had been of noble blood. Technically, of course, that meant that so was Arystar. He had given all of his money to the Black Order, though, and he didn't regret his decision at all. They had helped him to move on after his beloved was killed, admittedly by his own hand.

"That was my father's name. Please just call me Arystar, Miss Kamelot…" he said indifferently. Then he looked at her again and asked, "Why do you care, anyhow?" Road looked at him, and then glanced away.

"I-I was just trying to make conversation. I don't blame you for hating me, though, Arystar," she said politely, bowing and looking away. She was a little bit hurt by what he had said, but not enough to leave the table. That would be extremely rude.

Road thought silently for a minute. She was wondering vaguely if even she hated herself. And if she hated herself, how could anyone else do anything but hate her?

"Why are you even here, Road!? Allen was nice enough to take you in, but now that you're healthy again, you should go back and live with your own kind! What would make you think you're even welcome here?!" Lavi burst out angrily, slamming his hands down on the table, causing Road to recoil in shock, and fall off her chair. She hit the back of her head on the floor and groaned as she sat up and got to her hands and knees, and almost immediately hit her head on the edge of the table, causing white stars to burst in her sight. Her field of vision went all white and fuzzy, and it felt like her entire head was swimming. Finally, the dizziness subsided, and she stood up, though, and muttered something about not being hungry. She then bowed politely to everyone and walked up the stairs to her room. Maybe it was time for her to leave. She was healthy again… At least she was healthy enough to travel to Tyki Mikk's home. It would be a long journey, but she could make it. She didn't have any personal possessions to take with her, so she stripped the sheets off of her bed and began tying them together. It seemed a little bit clichéd to climb out the window like that, but she needed to leave without anyone seeing her go. It would be for the best.

Meanwhile downstairs, Allen was yelling at Lavi. He knew that Lavi was hotheaded sometimes, but he never expected him to burst out like that.

"Why did you say that to her!? I told you before you came that Road was going to be here! I asked you if you could be polite to her, and you said yes!! Whar's wrong with you!?" Allen yelled, his arms flying over his head with an urgency and tenseness rarely seen in the white haired exorcist.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you!? You're the one who decided to start babysitting a Noah!"

"_FORMER_ Noah!! Besides, the Church already made their decision, and she has to stay! She doesn't have a choice! And beyond that, I like having her here!! She's not the evil, nihilistic psychopath that she used to be anymore, and she's really smart, and polite and pleasant!" Allen yelled, his voice rising ever higher. At hearing this, Lavi smirked and stepped back with a dark chuckle.

"I think I get it, now. You _like_ her, don't you?" he asked calmly, his face a perfect picture of smug satisfaction.

"So what if I do!? Are you going to tell Cross on me!? What about the Church!? Perhaps they need to know, too!"

In the other room, Arystar and Miranda shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. Allen didn't mean for them to hear, but it was kind of hard for them not to when his and Lavi's voices were carrying throughout the entire house.

"I'm sorry, Allen. I got carried away. I just… Her comrades killed Bookman. I can't forgive them for that."

"And I'm sure they would say that they couldn't forgive us for the Noahs that we killed, Lavi! It was war. People die! Wars always have casualties. They always have victims, and both sides are going to lose in the end, because violence isn't the answer! Hatred isn't the answer either. It doesn't solve anything, and it doesn't make people's suffering go away. If anything hatred makes people's suffering worse. Now excuse me. I need to talk to Road."

As Allen got up to Road's room, he heard a thump, and he tried to open her door. He knew that he should probably knock, but he didn't know if he had the time, and knocking would alert her to his presence, so, he took a paperclip out of his pocket and picked the lock, bursting in and seeing Road climbing out the window just as he was walking in. He ran over to her as quickly as he could, and tried to pull her in, but Road pulled away from him in an attempt to escape.

"I'm sorry, Allen. I can't burden you anymore. I'm sure that your friends will never accept me. And you'll never be able to act normally around them if I'm here. I have to leave. I have somewhere to go now. Tyki invited me to stay with him. I feel certain that if I go to his house, he'll let me in, even though I said no before."

"Road! First of all, I don't care about what my friends think of you! Their opinion of you isn't important. Second, you aren't a burden to me! And third, if you leave, the church will hunt you down! They'll find out that you left eventually and they'll look for you. And if they find you, they'll execute you! I can't allow that to happen!"

"Allen! Let… Go!!" Road said, pulling her hand out of Allen's grasp, but losing her grip on the makeshift rope at the same time. Allen gasped as she plummeted to the hard cobblestone street below, and he heard her hit the ground below with a loud crunch. He watched as her left leg landed first and it cracked and buckled under her, and she fell back, hitting her head and being knocked unconscious.

Allen took a short, sharp breath in and ran back to the door and down the stairs, shoving Lavi aside so hard that he fell over. Allen then ran outside and looked at Road as she lay unconscious on the sidewalk, blood splattered on the stones from hitting her head so hard. He looked up angrily at Lavi, who ran out a second later, and grabbed him, shoving him against the wall of his house, punching him in the face.

"Why did you have to do that to her!? She already felt guilty enough without you yelling at her!" he screamed, even as Miranda and Arystar pulled him off of Lavi. Miranda then ran inside and called the hospital to come pick up Road. She then walked outside and removed her coat, putting it on top of Road and looking sadly at Allen.

"Allen, I'm sorry this happened, but maybe it was meant to be this way. I'm not so sure that it's wise or healthy to become too attached to a Noah, former or otherwise," Miranda said, taking Allen into a warm embrace. Allen pushed her off of him, though, looking at her in disbelief.

"I can't believe that you of all people would say something like that!" Allen yelled, just as the medics came rushing up in their cart. They picked Road up off the sidewalk, and Allen pushed Miranda lightly aside and walked with them, getting into the back of the cart and riding off to the hospital.

Road slowly felt sunlight filtering through her eyelids as she came back to consciousness. At first, she felt nothing. It was like she was floating in a void; no pain, no fear, no regrets… just silence, and peace. It felt nice, but then she remembered that she had been talking to Allen just seconds before she fell. Then, there had been a shooting pain in her leg, and then… nothing. It was like everything had left her when she hit the ground. She knew that didn't make sense, but that was what seemed to have happened.

Moments later, she felt a white hot agony searing through her entire head, and her eyes shot open and she flew up in her bed, breathing heavily from the pain. This only made it hurt worse, though, and she was quickly pushed back onto her pillow by Allen, who had been sitting there, watching her. He looked awful. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair, which was usually neatly combed was terribly askew. He almost looked funny, but Road wasn't really in the mood to laugh. She looked at Allen with somber eyes… eyes that Allen hadn't seen since he first ran into Road again almost two weeks earlier. Had it really been that long? Fourteen days since he found her sitting in that alley, nearly dead? It seemed much shorter, despite all that had happened in that time period. Eight days, they had been in the hospital, and all eight days, Allen was there, and awake, waiting for Road to wake up. The doctors had said after two days that they would call him if anything changed, but Allen wasn't willing to leave.

School had started that day, and Allen wasn't there to see who his new teachers were, and who he knew from his classes. He didn't have any close friends in the school, considering he had gone to public school for the first time just a year ago… maybe a little bit more.

"Allen? Why are you here?" Road asked quietly, rubbing the back of her head. When she pulled her hand back, it had blood on it. Allen smiled apologetically.

"Yeah, I should have told you right when you woke up. You aren't supposed to touch your bandages. You had quite an injury to your head, and it still bleeds quite a bit."

"Oh. I didn't expect you to be here. Aren't you angry at me for trying to run?" Road asked timidly, blushing slightly as she remembered Allen grabbing her hand like he did. It was as if he considered her worth saving. Did he?

"No. Why would I be angry? What Lavi said was really insensitive. I can understand his feelings, though. The Noah killed his mentor, Bookman in the final battle. I suspect he still holds a grudge against you for that."

"I-I see. Then he really does hate me… Just like the others," Road said miserably, only confirming what she was feeling all along.

"I don't think they hate you, Road. They just… Aren't used to not being your enemy."

"Allen… You don't need to lie. I understand that they hate me, and I don't blame them. I sometimes feel like I even hate myself. It's like I just want to curl up in a ball and die," Road said quietly, half hoping that Allen wouldn't hear her. He did, though, and he pulled her up from her pillow into a hug.

"But if you died, then what would I do? Go back to living alone in a house that's too big for one person but too small for two? You know, just because I'm the one who picked you up doesn't mean that I haven't enjoyed my time with you. I'd really like it if you'd continue to live with me. I'm not quite sure what I'd do if you left."

"Allen! What are you saying!?" Road asked with a gasp, her eyes wide.

"I-I think that I really _do_ love you, Road…"

"Allen!? You really shouldn't joke about things like that!" Road said urgently, blushing heavily. Allen shook his head, walking over to Road and taking her hands in his, cupping them gently.

"I'm not joking. I don't understand it myself, but something has happened in the two weeks since I ran into you, and now I think…" Allen said. But his words were lost in his mouth as Road kissed him. It was the second time that he had kissed her… but the first time that it had felt this good. He never thought that he could possibly be so happy that Road was alive. Back when he was in the Black Order, he felt sure that he would hate Road forever, but it was strange how destiny showed itself to those who paid attention.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Hello, class…" came a strict, short voice from the doorway of the classroom as a tall, middle aged, and thin lipped woman walked into the classroom. She walked over to her desk and put her bag under it. Now, who may I ask are you?" the woman asked curtly, raising an eyebrow at Road, who was sitting in the back row, hoping not to be seen. Road groaned and stood up, bowing politely to the teacher.

"Hello. I'm…" She started, debating whether to use the name that Allen knew her by, or her birth name. On that note, what name did the teacher have her under? She was legally adopted by Tyki Mikk's brother, so her last name really was Kamelot. But she wondered if it was really wise to use that name in her current situation.

"Yes?" The teacher asked impatiently, leaning forward and pushing her spectacles up her nose with her index and middle fingers.

"R-Road Kamelot, ma'am," Road said quietly. The teacher looked at her chart and nodded once.

"Of course you are, Miss Kamelot. You're the transfer student, correct?" she asked rather shortly. Road shivered slightly at the teacher's cold tone, but nodded.

"Well, then. Please come up to the front of the class and introduce yourself."

Road nodded and stood, walking to the front of the class, and standing there, making an attempt at a smile. It came out more as an awkward grimace, though, and Road bowed to the class.

"I'm… Road Kamelot," she said quietly, not elaborating at all. Most of the class just stared at her, but one boy, who had a cocky smirk on his face, raised his hand.

"Yes Ian? You have a question?" The teacher asked from behind Road. Road hadn't been expecting to have to answer any questions.

"Yeah. Why are you so skinny?" he asked, getting several laughs from the rest of the class, causing Road to turn pink in embarrassment. In the middle row by the window, Allen sighed and shook his head. He knew Ian by reputation. He had a penchant for being a class clown. Apparently the teacher knew this too, because she scowled at him.

"Does anybody have any _serious_ questions for Miss Kamelot?" The teacher asked, still scowling at Ian. When nobody raised their hands, she sighed and sent Road back to her seat. Road quickly left, glad to be out of the spotlight. She didn't really like being the center of attention. She used to be good at keeping the attention of a crowd back in her days as a Noah, but she couldn't say that she ever enjoyed it. She went to parties, and was polite and pleasant as she was introduced to rich and powerful people, and as men flirted with her. She always tried to find a way to escape the center of the crowd, though, stalking off to the side so that she could be alone and eat her candy, which she had started doing as a nervous habit. It wasn't that she particularly liked candy. She knew that it was bad for her, but she never seemed to get sick from it, so she didn't really care.

Discretely, Road slipped a chocolate bar out of her pocket and opened it, hoping that nobody would notice. Unfortunately, as soon as she opened it, the teacher looked up and saw that she had it.

"Miss Kamelot, since you're new, you probably don't know yet that I don't allow food of any kind in my class. Please save it for later."

"A-alright… S-sorry, ma'am."

"Call me Mrs. Porter," the teacher said curtly.

Road nodded and tried to settle in to listen for the rest of the class. Unfortunately, she could feel at least ten sets of eyes on her. She had always had a minor social phobia, but she had managed to cover it up with a superficial charm and a fake smile. As long as she was able to keep those two things, she did alright in social situations. She had seemingly lost the ability to smile as much as she used to, though, and her charm seemed to have gone right out the window along with her near perpetual good mood. Now, she felt her breathing rate increasing, and her chest growing tight. Her whole body was shaking, and she felt herself slowly being covered by a cold sweat.

She took even more rapid breaths, mostly to try to cool herself down, and to give her body enough oxygen to continue on. She could feel herself getting really dizzy, and her entire world was spinning now. Had anyone been paying close enough attention to her, rather than just staring absently at her, they would have noticed that in the time since she entered the classroom, she had gone several shades paler, and that her skin now resembled nothing so much as a chalk white. Her insides seemed to retch with every shuddering breath that she drew, causing her to feel like she was going to throw up. She knew that she couldn't. She had to at least stay semi-composed until class ended.

Even in her old school, she had been quiet and reserved. She rarely talked to anyone, and those few that she did talk to still didn't know very much about her. That was partially to protect the Clan of Noah. However, it was also to keep anyone from getting too close to her. Now, her entire head was swimming, and this time, it wasn't the peaceful feeling like she had in the hospital. It was a feeling as though she was drowning, like she had been thrown into ice cold water even though she couldn't swim. Ice cold waves of air hit her every second, causing her to gasp desperately for air. By now, even Mrs. Porter had noticed something was wrong. She went over closer to Road and said, "Miss Kamelot? Are you… feeling ill?"

It seemed a dumb question, because at that moment, she stood up recklessly, running toward the front of the room, shoving Mrs. Porter aside and tearing out into the hall. Mrs. Porter stood up, slightly bedraggled from being pushed so hard and she looked out the doorway, watching as Road turned the corner and disappeared. Allen stood up, trying to get past Mrs. Porter without her noticing, but she turned around and looked at him, adjusting her glasses.

"Where, pray tell are you going, Mr. Walker?" She asked sternly, fixing him with an almost ghoulish stare.

"I um… Have to go to the bathroom," Allen lied. He knew that it wasn't a very good lie, but it would have to suffice. The teacher nodded and pointed out the door.

"Make it quick, Mr. Walker. And if you run into Miss Kamelot, tell her she needn't worry about coming back to class today."

"I will," Allen said with forced patience as he rushed out to find Road. He knew that he couldn't actually go into the girls' bathroom. But he could wait outside for her until she was done. He knew the school quite well, having been a student there the previous year as well, and he followed Road's path toward the bathrooms and finally got to the girls' room after what seemed like forever. So, he sighed and leaned up against the wall, waiting. As he did so, though, he watched several girls pass and giggle, stealing glances at him.

Apparently, white hair, blue eyes and a facial scar in the shape of a pentacle were enough to make a boy very popular, because Allen had no shortage of admirers in the school, and no shortage of irritated guys either. As much as Allen had wanted to keep a low profile, he was rather noticeable with snow white hair and a scar that looked more like a tattoo. He found out quickly, though, who were actually nice people in the school, and he made a few friends. He never really felt that close to them, though. He had always felt that he had more in common with his comrades from the Black Order. Even Kanda understood him better than the people at this school.

In his inattention, he half dozed off, and didn't notice when a girl approached him and began staring at him, leaning in closer and slowly shifting her head from one side to the other. Her scraggly brown hair was pulled back into a braid and she wore thick glasses. Suddenly, she spoke, snapping Allen out of his doze.

"Hey! If you're looking for somewhere to sleep through break, standing up in the hall isn't really the best place to do it. Why are you waiting by the girls' bathroom? You aren't a peeping Tom, are you?" she asked, her questions and comments coming at Allen rapid fire so that he barely had time to shake his head clear before she was assaulting him with her rant.

"H-huh?" he asked stupidly, rubbing his eyes. As his vision cleared, he noticed the girl, still practically nose to nose with him, staring right at him. At realizing this, Allen nearly fell over, but managed to save his footing and ducked under the girl, causing her to fall forward. He slipped behind her, though, and grabbed her arm, holding her up.

"A little bit too close for comfort there…" Allen said with a polite smile. The girl turned around and advanced on Allen again. She wasn't acting like some of the other girls, who just seemed to want to waste time flirting with him, though. It was more like she was studying him, staring at him like one would at an interesting species of insect. All the more disconcerting.

"I'll say! I almost hit my head on the wall there. Thanks!" she said obliviously, not even connecting that she was too close to Allen, and apparently, extremely hyperactive. Allen tried to keep his smile, but backed off a few steps, only to be advanced on again by the girl, who was beginning to annoy him slightly.

"Say, how long have you been watching me?" Allen asked politely, trying not to let his annoyance show.

"Oh, maybe ten or fifteen minutes. You looked like you were having a nice daydream and I didn't want to wake you. You were mumbling about a road. Were you dreaming about your hometown?"

"Oh… Um… No. I was actually born here…" Allen lied. The girl laughed in a rather childish giggle, shaking her head and wagging her finger somewhat tauntingly.

"You shouldn't lie. It's very unbecoming. You don't have to tell me about your dream if you don't want to, though. Anyway, why are you here?"

"I'm waiting for a friend. She wasn't feeling well, so she came into the bathroom."

"A fellow teacher? How long has she been in there?" the girl asked quickly, leaning in closer to Allen, her eyes widening slightly, bulging out a bit behind her spectacles.

"Um… Well, what time is it?" Allen asked groggily. The girl checked her watch and gasped. "Wow. It's almost 9:00. You must have been here at least half an hour, because class started at 8:15, and I passed you at 8:47:35. It takes at least seven minutes to reach a state of sleep where you wouldn't notice someone right in front of you meaning that you've probably been here since about 8:37."

"Um… I-if you say so. Anyway… D-do you think you could go in to see if my friend is doing alright?" Allen asked politely, becoming more unsettled by the minute by this girl who seemed extraordinarily bright, but terribly unfocused.

"Well, I don't know if 'alright' is really the right word to use."

"What do you mean?"

"Right now she's crying pretty hard. I can go try to get her to come out for you."

"Yeah… um… thanks. Maybe that'll work…" Allen said doubtfully. So, the girl walked into the bathroom and pushed open one of the stalls. When she saw what Road was doing, though, she shrieked. Even from outside the bathroom, Allen could hear them yelling back and forth, so against his better judgment, he ran in and saw much to his horror, a bloody mess all over the bathroom. It wasn't the new girl's blood, though. It was Road's. She had been cutting herself, and quite a bit from the looks of it. Road had bloodstains all over her clothes and running down her arms and hands, dripping onto the floor, leaving puddles of blood. Allen noticed the new girl was throwing up in the toilet. Apparently she was squeamish. Allen noticed that Road was about to start cutting herself again, so he ran over to her, trying to wrestle the razor out of her hand, but in panic, she lashed back at him and slashed his wrist wide open, causing a large spurt of blood to fly out into Road's face.

Immediately, Road dropped the razor, and ran to Allen who had grabbed his wrist in an attempt to stop the bleeding. His wrist was bleeding profusely, and it had already soaked half of his white sleeve, and was now dripping onto the floor, having saturated so much of his sleeve. Allen felt his stomach retching. He hadn't lost that much blood since the final battle, and he had almost died in the final battle, but because of internal bleeding, not a wound to the wrist. Seeing all that blood, now, was making him sick to his stomach. It had been a horrible day all around, and he could feel his arm getting weak. He couldn't hold it up anymore to stem the flow of blood. After another moment or two, it dropped to his side, and though he still had it grabbed tightly, it was starting to bleed heavily now.

"Well!!!??? What are you waiting for!?" Road screamed at the new girl. "Go get the nurse! We need help, dumbshit!!"

Allen's breath came in short, shallow bursts, trying desperately not to faint. He looked at Road, wondering how she could have cut herself so many times and still be okay. The answer had to be that even though most of her Noah powers were gone, she still had faster than average healing time, causing her wounds to seal much quicker. She had lost much less blood than it seemed, and Allen was rapidly being sapped of his strength. He could feel his knees becoming weak under him as he was forced to his hands and knees. Road put a hand on his back and held him close to her, tearing off a piece of her own clothing and wrapping it around his wrist as tightly as she could.

Hot tears stung Road's eyes as she looked miserably into Allen's eyes. Allen just smiled at her, though, and picked up his "good" arm, cupping her face and kissing her on the lips. He wasn't angry at her. He knew that she didn't mean to hurt him. He had probably just frightened her when he moved toward her, and she lashed out like any cornered creature would. Maybe he was being a bit _too_ understanding. After all, he was probably going to die. But he couldn't find it in him to be angry at her. Road looked at his bleeding wrist, and that was when it hit her. There was still a chance to save him. She grabbed the razor and cut her own wrist open again, grabbing his wrist forcefully and pressing the two of them together. She had never experimented with sharing her blood with an exorcist, who was full to bursting with Innocence, while she still had Dark Matter in her veins. She had used her blood to help Tyki heal once, though, and the Exorcists themselves had used Akuma DNA to make more powerful exorcists. That gave her hope that it might work. It would speed up Allen's own healing process and cause his cells to rapidly regenerate like hers did, and seal off the wound. She watched as the bleeding finally stopped from Allen's wrist and he fainted in her arms.

Just as he did, the nurse came in and picked Allen up, putting him in a wheelchair, and beckoning for Road to follow her as well.

When they got to the nurse's office, there were members of the church there already. The leader apparent asked the nurse to leave. He said that they would take care of Allen and Road. The nurse glowered at them suspiciously, obviously not trusting them one bit, but the man glared back at her, going into his pocket, maybe to show her some official document that they had jurisdiction. So, she finally left, and the man stepped forward, glaring down at Road.

"Perhaps you managed to fool your last interrogator. He was a kind, gentle man to begin with. He was not a fool, but perhaps a bit too optimistic for his own good. I can assure you, now that you have broken the terms of your probation, you will be punished for the crimes that you committed as a Noah, for breaking probation, and for assaulting Allen. He was an important member of the church, and fortunately for you, it looks like he is going to make it. Tell me, you didn't do anything to him beyond the initial attack, did you? Answer honestly. We will know if you lie."

"I wrapped his wrist in some cloth f-from my sleeve," Road said truthfully. She had indeed wrapped his wrist. What she didn't tell them, though, was that she shared Dark Matter with him, probably an offense that would get both of them executed.

"We are charging you with attempted murder, breach of probation, and several thousand counts of crimes against humanity. Before we charge you, though, we must ask if you wish to deny any of these accusations."

"I do not. I will plead guilty to all of them," Road said quietly, not looking any of them in the eye. Slowly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Allen shifting in his bed. He was waking up. That might have been a good thing, although it was also bad, because at that moment, he shot up in the bed, forcing the four men to use all their strength to restrain him. Finally, Allen settled down and took a deep breath, realizing that he could breathe again. He removed the scrap of cloth from his wrist and looked at the cut, which was healing over quite well. The four men looked at it in disbelief, then stared at Road, who looked away, not sure that she wanted to meet Allen's gaze.

"Allen, Miss Kamelot is pleading guilty to all charges. This is probably the last time you will see her before her execution," one of the more sympathetic looking men said. Allen gasped and then shook his head.

"No she's not. She's pleading not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect," he said plainly, causing the four of them to stare stupidly at him.

"Allen, she isn't insane. That defense hardly ever works. What makes you think it will work this time?"

"I watched her in class. She suffered temporary insanity due to an extreme emotional disturbance. Just like some people bite their nails when they are nervous, Road eats candy when she's nervous. However, her reaction to being denied the opportunity to so calm her nerves is much more violent, as demonstrated by the slash marks up and down her arms. I moved to try to take the razor from her, and she lashed out in her disturbed state."

"Do you _really_ think that's going to work? I mean, she was temporarily insane because she wasn't allowed to eat some chocolate? That's a bit of a stretch, Walker."

"Maybe, but it'll tie you goons up in the court system for a few years at least. Even if we lose the first case, there's always the appeals process, and believe me, I will exhaust the appeals process. By the time I'm done with you guys, you'll be begging to release Road…" Allen said with a confident smirk, smiling back at Road, who could only gape at Allen's self-confidence. She wondered if he was really so well versed in the law, or if he was grasping at straws as they would have him believe. Something told her that he really did know what he was doing, and that he wouldn't stop fighting until they were both dead, or she was free.

"Allen! You d-don't have to do this! Don't put your head on the line for me!"

"Quiet, Road!" Allen said sharply, looking back at her discretely and winking at her. Yeah. He had a plan, and apparently, it was quite devious if he needed so much time to pull it off.

"Hello, Cy…"

"Don't say your name. I'm not sure if we're being listened to. Is your brother there?" Allen asked. Cyril's eyes widened, but after a moment, he smiled pleasantly and spoke again.

"Well, hello. How is Kyoko doing?" he asked politely, using Road's birth name, as if having read Allen's mind.

"And the answer is yes, son. I can indeed. Let me see… Kyoko is not doing well and you need me to send my dear brother over to bring her back to health, so to speak? And why should I do you any favors? You took away many of my comrades, and have not returned Kyoko-chan to me."

"Because if you don't, your precious Kyoko-chan will die, and if you do, both she and I will come to you. When we get there, you can do as you like with me. If you must kill me to satisfy yourself, so be it."

"My. You're really going the extra kilometer for my daughter. My brother was right. You two really have fallen in love, haven't you? Who'd have thought it possible? A love forbidden by circumstance. Like Romeo and Juliet. Let's hope it doesn't end just as tragically."

"Yeah. That's great. For now, Kyoko is safe. I've tied them up in the system with a bullshit defense. We have at least three years, if not more, but send your brother over ASAP. I hope to get some of my friends in on it as well. But remember, this will make me a traitor, and by helping me, you are putting yourself in danger. Don't come unless you are willing to die."

"Boy, I was willing to die the day I adopted Kyoko. Now, there is a surveillance team near enough to you that they could pick up if they get too much closer. Goodbye. I'll find my own way."

"Good. Bring plenty of monster blood."

With that, Cyril hung up and walked off. Allen then went over to the table, where several of the members of the R&D Department, Lavi, Miranda, Arystar, and Timothy Hearst (Phantom Thief "G") were all sitting there, looking expectant. Allen sat down and sighed.

"Now, I know that none of you really like Road, so I ask that you please only do this if you're willing to risk your life for her."

"Why should we!? She was a Noah! She deserves to be executed!" Lavi said. Arystar looked at him disapprovingly and shook his head.

"I agree that she made bad choices, Lavi, but nobody deserves to die. I'm in. If what you say is true, then she's being unfairly punished, anyhow."

"I suppose that if it's for you, Allen, I'll join you as well," Miranda said kindly. She had really changed a lot since he first met her in the backwards city. It meant a lot to him that she was trying to save the girl who tried to kill her.

"You guys couldn't _possibly_ pull it off without me…" Timothy said with a wide smirk, putting his hand on the table in agreement.

"And we're also in. We owe Allen at least this much. Right?" One of the R&D guys said. The others all nodded. Seeing that everyone else was joining him, Lavi sighed and nodded his assent.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked, sitting back in his chair leisurely.

"Well, Road is in the prison beneath the church right now, as you all know. Arystar, we'll need your superhuman powers, so I've arranged for the former Noahs that are going to join us to bring enough Akuma blood that you can use them for the duration of the mission. Miranda, your ability to use temporal regression is important. We don't need to remain completely uninjured if you're able to regress our injuries while we escape. Lavi, if you're still willing, I need you to create a distraction. Your hammer should suffice for that. Timothy, how many people can you control at once with your anti-Akuma weapon?"

"Maybe 50 or 60. It'd be a tenuous control, though. At best it would addle their brains for ten or fifteen minutes. They won't know what hit them, but they also won't be in complete control."

"Good enough. With the distraction on the upper floors, there will be fewer people on the prison floor, so Timothy, hopefully you won't have to stretch your power too much. As for the Science Department, perhaps a few explosions and escapes are in order? Do you have any new experiments that are dangerous, or any animals that might escape?"

"Plenty, of course. We'll let it all loose."

"Perfect. Now, we all need to act for the next week or so as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The Order will expect you to shun me because of my zeal in helping Road, so you need to act as though you want nothing to do with me. That'll suit us and Road just fine. I'll be down in Road's cell most of the time, so I can scout out the area and check for good escape points. If all of this goes smoothly, you'll likely never see me again. If the plan fails… Well, you probably will never see me again. So either way, it's been an honor working with all of you. Goodbye. And if anyone asks, you came over here to convince me to stop defending Road. It's a perfectly reasonable excuse."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Road sat in her cell in complete resignation. She knew that Allen's defense wouldn't work. She was grateful that he was trying to save her again, but it wasn't going to work. She was smart enough to know that the church was looking for any excuse to off her. She looked up at Allen, who was sitting with her, holding her in his embrace.

"Allen. Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly. Nothing made sense to her anymore. It was like the entire world had been turned upside down. She had friends now, even though she knew that by all rights everyone should hate her. Allen loved her, even though she almost killed him.

"Because I love you, Road. People who love each other spend time together."

"No! I mean why are you trying this bogus defense!? It's one thing to still be in love with me! That's bad enough, but to try such a ludicrous defense for someone who tried to kill you! I don't deserve to live!"

"Why don't you let the court decide whether you deserve to live, and just concentrate on staying healthy long enough to appear in court. I hear you haven't been eating again. I brought you some food and some chocolate bars."

"Allen…" Road said, feeling her voice catching in her throat. She was starting to feel guiltier by the second. He was giving her everything, and she wasn't even able to keep her nose clean for him.

"Please eat. If you won't eat for yourself, please at least eat for me…" Allen said quietly, pulling Road tighter and kissing her gently. Road nodded and took the food that Allen was offering her and opened it, taking a bite out of it. Just like everything Allen made, it was delicious. When she had finished eating, she looked at Allen again and kissed him passionately, beginning to unbutton his shirt. Almost immediately, Allen drew back, shocked at Road's actions.

"R-Road! W-what are you…?" Allen began. Road cut him off with another kiss, though, holding him up against her.

"Allen. You and I both know that this defense isn't going to fly. I'm grateful to you for trying, and I won't stop you from continuing because I know that you're too strong willed for that. But before they execute me, I want you to make love to me…" she said bluntly, displaying none of her former shyness. Maybe her time in the prison had changed her a bit, even though it had only been a week. Maybe she just felt more determined now that she was sure that she was going to die. Allen smiled at her and kissed her back, pushing his tongue into her mouth and exploring every inch of it. Road took this as an invitation to enter Allen's mouth as well, and a furious dance of tongues began.

After a moment, Allen pulled away, taking deep breaths and staring into Road's almost glowing golden eyes.

"Road…" Allen said, cut off almost immediately by another kiss. Road then began to unbutton Allen's shirt, pulling it off of him, and allowing her fingers to roam across his smooth, perfect chest and abdomen. Allen sighed as her cool touch dragged across him, and he began to undo her shirt. She was still rather skinny, but not overly so, anymore. It had been almost a month since he had found her, and with her eating properly again, she had put on some weight and she was nearly back to her old self. As Allen kissed Road tenderly, he brought his hand to her breasts and began to massage them, causing Road to arch her back in pleasure. Despite all the men who had tried to court her, she had never had sex before. It felt amazing. She began to unbutton Allen's pants, and pull them down along with his boxers, exposing his hardened cock. Road slowly put his cock in her mouth, licking along the head and the shaft as it went in.

As Road began licking along his shaft, Allen moaned in pleasure, barely able to restrain his voice. This was his first time, too. He had always been raised as a good Catholic. And that generally meant no sex before marriage. He figured that God would forgive him for this, though, if he could save Road's life. The only thing was that Road couldn't know about his plan until they pulled it off. In case the church did a mind scan to check her memories, he couldn't risk them coming across his plan to break her out. Road truly believed that Allen planned to fight for her legally and that she was going to lose and was going to die. Therefore, it shouldn't matter if he had sex with her. There were effectively no consequences. The church already knew that they were dating.

Allen groaned. He could feel himself building toward climax. Moments later, he exploded in her mouth, almost causing Road to gag. She swallowed his cum, though, and removed her bra, and her skirt. Allen knelt down and put his head between her legs, licking her pussy, causing Road to gasp in shock at the wave of pleasure that coursed through her body as he did so. Allen continued to lick her, flicking her clit as he did so. Soon, Road exploded, and Allen licked her juices off of her, and she got down on the bed.

Allen positioned himself between her legs and looked at Road, as if asking her if this was really alright.

"Yes. Please take me right now, Allen!" Road said breathily. So, Allen pushed into her, breaking past her barrier, and burying himself in her pussy, causing her to yelp in pain. Soon, the pain subsided, though, and Allen began to thrust in and out of her, causing Road to cry out Allen's name in ecstasy as he thrust harder and harder, finally coming inside her.

After that, they did it a few more times, and then collapsed on Road's small bed, content. Road kissed Allen sweetly, and fell asleep. Once she had, Allen extricated himself from her and put his clothes on. He had much to do before he left. He kissed Road on the lips before he walked out and stalked silently around the prison. The place was a veritable maze. However, he had brought a marker that he marked the walls of the halls that he had already been through, and he used his eye to spread out and search for any hidden exits. There were several, but none of them were easy to get to, and all of them were well guarded. Allen would be able to handle it. However, he would need to go through the prison quickly. Assuming everything went according to plan, though, that wouldn't be a problem.

Tyki Mikk knocked three times, and then rung the bell twice of Allen's front door. Waiting for a moment, he stepped back and looked at the house. It was quite nice, but nothing like his home. After a moment, Allen opened the door and instantly pulled him in. He looked around outside, using his eye to make sure that nobody was there.

"You weren't followed, were you?" Allen asked. Tyki smiled politely and shook his head.

"There were one or two people trying to follow me discretely. However, I dealt with them. I didn't kill them, though. I imagine that they will be waking up in a few hours with no memory of the past three or four days. The drug I gave them erases most of their short-term memory. It's an unfortunate side effect, but it can be useful."

"Great. Did you bring the Akuma blood?" Allen asked quietly. He knew that he had nothing to worry about. He had set up alarms and traps around every entrance to his house so that nobody could get in except for those he might invite in. Tyki nodded and pulled open his coat.

"I brought ten or eleven tubes. I figured that would be enough."

"It should be. Good. Now, Tyki, are you going to be joining us for our entry?"

"No. I will be waiting outside this town. I've brought all the supplies that I will need. You and Road will come to the North side of town, exiting through that gate and I will be right outside waiting for you. I am not responsible for the rest of you. I wish you luck, though, and I've taken the liberty of sending my number to each of your cell phones in case you ever need assistance."

Allen thanked Tyki and took the blood, giving it to Arystar, who took the 11 bottles and put them on his belt in little individual slots that were the perfect size. Then, Allen, Arystar, Miranda, and Timothy walked out the door and turned toward the church. They had to make it by exactly 8:00 pm. That was when the double distraction was going to take place. Lavi and the Science department were going to set off their respective distractions at the same time on opposite ends of the facility. The science department said that they might be able to set off more than one distraction at a time, but they weren't sure. The more the better, though. So, the four of them ran down to the church, checking their watches, which were in perfect alignment.

Each turn brought them closer to their goal. But also closer to 8:00. They made it through the doors of the church just as five explosions went off throughout the building. The four of them used the panic around them to become invisible, and they went through the halls of the facility toward the prison. When they got there, they faced a small problem. An exorcist was guarding the door. Arystar removed a tube of blood and drank it. He had plenty, and he attacked, punching the man so hard that he was knocked unconscious in one hit before he could even draw his weapon. Arystar then ripped the metal door right off of its hinges and threw it ten feet away. With that, the four of them went down the stairs just as fifteen guards ran up the stairs, not even noticing them as they rushed towards the distractions. The distractions would only be good for a little while, because they would quickly discover that there were only members of the church there that caused them for no apparent reason. The science department might be able to keep them for a while, but Lavi had no reason to cause such a mess. They would figure out that it was a distraction, and come rushing to the only place that was logical, the prison.  
They rushed through the halls of the prison, and Timothy did a mass hypnosis with his weapon, putting all of the guards under their control and ordering the one nearest Road's prison cell to unlock the cell, but stand there and tell her not to leave yet. They finally made it to the cell just as they heard a crash near the entrance to the prison ward. They had figured out the ruse, and were coming for them. From the sound of it, there were a lot of them. Allen grabbed Road and started to pull her out. Road resisted, though.

"Allen, no! I won't let you do this for me. I've accepted my fate. You need to accept it as well." Allen just glared at her and yanked her arm hard, angry now. "Road! I won't accept that they're going to kill you! So help me God, I'll knock you unconscious and drag you out of here if I have to. But both of us are escaping alive whether you want to or not!"

"Not a chance, Walker!" Came a voice from behind them. There were at least ten exorcists behind them, all of their weapons invoked. Arystar smirked. He knew that it was the end of the line if they didn't do something drastic. The amount of blood he had drunk already was only enough for a few minutes, and a few minutes was up already up. He would need a huge burst of power. It might only last for ten or so minutes, and it might kill him, but Allen had saved his life in the final battle. So, he took five bottles out and drank all of them and then immediately took the other five out and drank them.

Almost instantly, he roared and rushed forward so fast that the wind blew all of their would be captors against the wall, knocking half of them unconscious. He then went about knocking the others unconscious and then ran out of the cell. After him, Allen and Road went. Then Miranda, and Timothy. Allen shouted directions to the guarded secret escape, and when they got there, Arystar kicked the wall, shattering it, and they went up the stairs and out of the building, tearing out into the frigid January night, turning left to get to the North side of town. There were only a few people in the street, but Arystar knocked them all aside just from how fast he was going. The rest of them rushed after Arystar, struggling to keep up.

When they finally made it to the North side of town, Arystar, sighed. He was glad that he didn't have to die. Almost immediately, the others got there, breathing heavily, having just run harder than they ever had in their entire lives.

Tyki greeted them as they arrived, having become visible again. As he had promised, he was there with a vehicle in which to escape. Road and Allen climbed in. Timothy smirked. He had plans now. Now that he was free of the Order, he planned to go back to thieving. Since he could control his Innocence perfectly now, he was even more powerful, and could pull off even more incredible heists. Miranda turned toward Krory and stared at him, taking his hands in hers, looking into his sharp, angular eyes.

"Arystar… I-I never told you this before, but I love you…" Arystar drew back, but then regained his composure, and smiled warmly. It was the first time anyone had told him that they loved him since Eliade. And, she was the first person that he had loved since Eliade. The two drew together and kissed as Tyki, Allen and Road jumped into the carriage and rode away as quickly as they could. Timothy made a mock gagging sound at Miranda and Arystar, and said disgustedly, "Yuck! Old people love!"

With that, Arystar swept Miranda up and shot away with her at superhuman speeds, still having energy from the Akuma blood. Timothy smirked and walked back into town to steal some supplies to go off on his own.

*15 Years Later*

"Well, Allen? What should we name him? He looks just like you…" Road said happily, staring down lovingly at their new baby. Allen thought for a moment, looking at his red hair and golden eyes.

"Mana. Mana Noah Walker."

Road looked over at her daughter, who looked almost like an exact clone of Road, but with Allen's bright blue eyes. They had found out that she was very intelligent. The girl leaned far over the bed to get a better look at the child. Quickly, Allen picked her up and let her look at Mana, who cooed softly at her and smiled, grasping her finger lightly.

"What do you think, Kyoko? Does Mana sound like a good name to you?" Allen asked with a grin. She looked up at him, bending her neck way back so that her head was upside down.

"Mana was your father right? It sounds like a fine name to me…" she said. Then she easily squirmed around in Allen's grasp and grabbed his anti-Akuma arm, and stared into his eyes questioningly.

"What happened to your arm and your eye?" she asked bluntly. For all her intelligence, she had not yet learned subtlety, though in fairness to her, she was only four.

"Well, I was kind of wild as a kid, and I decided to tattoo my face. And as for my arm, I think that was what turned my life around. It got caught in some burning debris. It was lucky for me that I didn't need to have it cut off."

"Mommy! Is he lying?"

"I couldn't tell you…" Road lied. "By the time that I met him, he already had the tattoo and the burnt arm."

Road and Allen had agreed when they discovered that Road was pregnant the first time that they wouldn't tell their children about their past. They both felt that the conflict between the Noahs and the Catholic church needed to die. Kyoko looked at Allen suspiciously, but sighed in resignation and accepted their answer.

**The End**

I hope that you liked my story. Please read and review. This is the first serious AllenxRoad fanfic that I've ever written. I hope that it isn't too farfetched to enjoy. Peace out, yo!


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